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Analysis 13


Left:Signs designated roads in theORN. Right:TNT andDHL used pedestrian couriers to get around traffic jams.


Ben Plowden, director of


planning atTfL surface transport, had been impressed by industry engagement, and said: “Freight accounts for 25 per cent of traffic in central London, so it’s encouraging to see that somany businesses are considering steps to reduce deliveries.” In practice, fears about


restrictions to the road network came to nothing.Throughout the OlympicGames, only around 40 per cent ofGames Laneswere in operation at any one time, meaning the remaining 60 per centwere open to general traffic withmotorists advised via roadsideVariableMessage Signs. But the provisions have not


been perfect. Kevin Buchanan, managing director of Palletline, says thatTransport for London didn’t consider freight until very late in the preparation process for the games. As a result they had to scramble around and put a policy together quickly. While Buchanan accepts that


there have been nomajor problems, he points out that there has been a price to be paid for the restrictions on transport in London during the games. “Operators cannot get in as


many deliveries each day,” he says. “As a result the cost of each delivery is higher.”


Innovative approaches Itmay be some time before the true costs of the changes to the distribution network are known. But the fear of losing business has inspired some innovative approaches to delivery. Throughout theOlympic and


ParalympicGamesDHL had a dedicated operations control centre tomonitor and adapt services for changes to the network and localised congestion. But it has also contracted foot courier firm JogPost to carry out crucial deliveries in London during the


Supply Chain Standard September 2012


TheORNremoved some loading bays and blocked some roads, whileGames Laneswere only for use by accredited vehicles.


summer, and potentially beyond. JogPost couriers joined the


DHLworkforce tomake deliveries on foot or via public transport, direct fromDHL Service Centres in London.They alsoworked alongwith driving couriers for the finalmile of deliveries in areas thatwere inaccessible because of theORN. TNT has also been using


JogPost’s services, aswell as additional cyclists and motorcycle couriers, a larger fleet of specialist delivery vans and more driverswith knowledge of London streets and howto get around theORN. Steve Brown, divisional


generalmanager at TNT Special Services, says: “The planning and extra resource we have put in place during the games is obviously working.” CitySprint increased its


motorcycle and push-bike fleets as well as taking on a teamof 20 joggers, and even five roller-bladers. UPS, the official logistics and


express delivery supporter for the games, introduced an alternative


fleet of bicycles andwalkers to its London operations, and following trials in theUK at the start of 2012,UPS also plans to continue to use the bicycles after the Games throughout London. Managing director CindyMiller


says: “Even for those areaswhere bicycle access is restricted,we also have a fleet of secure delivery trolleys that ourwalkers can use tomake deliveries in central London. As a result, our operations are running exactly as planned to serve businesses throughout the city.” Hermes created three temporary


sub depots and introduced additional delivery rounds and longer hours of operation, aswell as laying on vehicles to drop off and collect couriers to avoid parking restrictions. David Scott, head of


warehousing atTorque Logistics, points out that being unable to access your final delivery point or being delayed are daily occurrences for logistics businesses, and robust processes are already in place to dealwith such issues. But the gameswere


A network of around 150 variablemessage signs along theORN advisedwhenGames Laneswere open to regular traffic.


an exception, and engagingwith the extra information fromtrade bodies andTfLwas imperative. “The games presented a unique


set of challenges due to the ongoing changeswithin the road restrictions and the different areas affected, in essence planning for a specific event is relatively easy, planning for an event thatwill change every day (and even during each day) is a different proposition,” says Scott. “This is compounded if your business alsoworkswith a number of delivery partners and a number of clients as they all have their own interpretation of what is/should be possible during the games.” And it is not just amatter of


clearer roads. By its nature the Olympics puts pressure on international routes too. Colm McAlinden, Agility’s chief operating officerUK and Ireland, says: “In the circumstances of airfreight, theOlympics related activities and passenger traffic will be given priority resulting in restricted airline capacity and increased turnaround times for general cargomovements. “Security is another challenge.


Lead times on air exportsmay increase due to additional security restrictions and for air import shipments the time line for retrieval of freight fromthe airlinesmay also suffer during the Olympic period. Rightly, the security restrictionswill vary at any time depending on the level of threat.”


Toomuch of a good thing? One pessimistic inference from the lack of problems is that perhaps thingswere over planned, and unnecessary time andmoneywas spent on preparations. After allwe are in an economic crisis, and the Bank of England downgraded the country’s growth forecast during theGames.


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